Shunned by both Louisville and childhood favorite Kentucky, Anthony Hickey, native of Hopkinsville, Ky., can only hold onto his last visit to Rupp Arena.
The 5-foot-11 dynamo drew the double team and kicked it out to his Christian County teammate, who drained a 3-pointer to send the arena into a pandemonium as the Colonels captured a double-overtime, state championship victory.
Despite Hickey being named Kentucky’s “Mr. Basketball” that season, it wasn’t enough to woo Kentucky coach John Calipari or Louisville legend Rick Pitino as Hickey made his way to Baton Rouge.
“Yeah, it [does] bother me,” Hickey said of his lack of recruitment. “I’m here [at LSU], though, so I get to play against them.”
Playing in Rupp for the first time since that high school state title game, Hickey will lead a young LSU (10-6, 1-4 Southeastern Conference) team into the raucous environment to face the defending NCAA Champion Wildcats — a shell of last season’s group.
The freshman trio of Anthony Davis, Marquis Teague and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist is gone and Darius Miller’s veteran presence is clearly missed as the Wildcats (12-6, 3-2 SEC) have stumbled out of the gate with two SEC losses and no top-50 wins on the season.
“They’re an OK team,” said LSU junior forward Shavon Coleman. “They’re not the team they usually [are], like when they had John Wall, Brandon Knight and Anthony Davis. They’re just a normal team.”
Calipari’s new crop of Wildcats are led inside by USA Today High School National Player of the Year forward Nerlens Noel, a Davis-esque shot blocker who has swatted 76 thus far while chipping in 10.7 points per game.
Noel will present a different challenge for LSU sophomore forward Johnny O’Bryant III, who will need to go right at the lanky 6-foot-10 post player.
“The best way to attack him is just to go at him,” said LSU coach Johnny Jones. “When you go at him, generally you can at least try to put them on the defensive and play through them or get them in foul trouble.”
The Tigers are fresh off their first conference win against Texas A&M. In the win, the Tigers forced 24 turnovers and rallied from a 14-point first-half deficit. LSU will rely on guard play and a full-court press that has given opponents a hard time all season.
Hickey, the NCAA leader in steals, was the benefactor of tipped passes in the A&M game, using Coleman and freshman guard Malik Morgan at the front of the press as he grabbed a season-high eight steals.
“We don’t run the press that much, but it’s all about how we’re playing on defense,” Hickey said. “If we’re playing over top and get hands on balls, we have a chance to win.”
Known for its reputation as one of the more intimidating venues in the country, Rupp Arena can strike fear into any opposing team, especially one as young as the Tigers.
Hickey, though, may alleviate the stress that Big Blue Nation may present – referring to calls he received from hometown friends after the two Tiger losses to Kentucky last season.
“They told me, ‘Good job, but you gotta win some games against Kentucky,’” Hickey said. “We’re going to win some of these. I can’t keep playing Kentucky and not getting a win.”
Who: LSU vs. Kentucky
Where: Rupp Arena
When: Saturday January 25, 3 p.m.
Watch/Listen: Eagle 98.1 FM, SECNetwork
